hardmath

When I take five and add six, I get eleven, but when I take six and add seven, I get one. What am I?

A clock

Why this works

This riddle cleverly plays with the concept of time on a clock face. When you "take five" (5 o'clock) and "add six" hours, you move to 11 o'clock, which makes perfect sense. However, when you "take six" (6 o'clock) and "add seven" hours, you move past 12 to 1 o'clock, illustrating how the cyclical nature of a clock works. The riddle invites you to think about numbers in a non-linear way, showing how time resets after reaching 12.

Common Wrong Answers

“A calculator”

A calculator provides straightforward arithmetic answers and does not exhibit the unique behavior of a clock where time wraps around after reaching a certain point.

“A calendar”

A calendar deals with dates and months, not with the cyclical nature of time in the way that a clock does, which is essential to the riddle.

“An hourglass”

An hourglass measures time but does not involve arithmetic operations like adding numbers, which is central to the riddle's premise.

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